


Letters to Allura

by Mispunderstanding



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Lovers to Friends, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-19 16:06:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mispunderstanding/pseuds/Mispunderstanding
Summary: It has been almost ten years since Allura left, and Lance has been a wreck. But now, a pen allows him and the other paladins to reach her. Allura and Lance have much to catch up on, and with time, they rebuild a friendship, and share advice.Allura and Lance go back to an easy friendship, one where they can help one another in their respective realities.





	1. Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I promise it won't always be this angsty.

They all missed Allura. That was a fact that would never die, it was an irreversible truth that seemed as though it would be constant even after the paladins died. Lance had held onto the pain for many years, he missed her, but he found more and more that what he missed wasn’t his girlfriend, what he was missing was his friend. Removed from their relationship status, Allura had been his friend. He could remember good times with her, almost all of them from their times as friends, with smatterings of beautiful memories of her bringing the park back to life, their first kiss and their last.  
Lance was lonely. He had always been a hopeless romantic, and always would. But he couldn’t bring himself to find anyone else, it would be betraying Allura. But a small part of him wanted to feel what he felt for Allura again. Every time that these feelings reared their ugly heads, Lance beat them down, and buried them down again. He threw himself, heart and soul, into farming. He knew that he was starting to worry his parents, his siblings, even his niece and nephew had been worriedly following him around.  
He could sometimes find joy in his life, brief glowing light surrounding birthdays, christmas, Shiro’s wedding. Family moments, and ones he should have been sharing. He barely stayed in contact with the others, aside from Allura’s remembrance day. It had been nearly ten years. He didn’t think any of it would ever change, Allura was gone, and he felt the ties of friendships eroding over time. 

Lance never slept in anymore, his skin care routine was shot, and he was constantly exhausted. He’d never once been a morning person. It had always taken him a long time to wake up, that was part of why his skin routine was so important to him. Was.  
He would stumble through his morning chores like a zombie, not fully waking up for at least an hour, and only then registering anything that was said to him.  
It was for that reason that Lance was very confused when his bedroom door was kicked in, the curtains thrown wide, and a surprisingly heavy weight bounced on him.  
It took him awhile to figure out what was happening. It wasn’t until the weight jumped again, and was removed that his brain worked out that someone had leaped onto him in his sleep.  
“Pidge, you said you would wake him gently!” Hunk’s voice scolded.  
Lance blinked, and sat up slowly.  
Pidge snorted “That was gentle, you should have seen how I used to wake Matt”  
Even with the curtains open, Lance couldn’t see a thing.  
“What’s going on?” Lance grumbled.  
Judging by Hunk’s loud intake of breathe, a lot was going on, and Hunk was going into full gossip mode.  
“Coran has an announcement!, He’s called the team back together, he says it’s important” Hunk sounded excited.  
“Uh-huh, and the time is?” Lance asked through a yawn.  
“Half three” Pidge replied.  
“I’m not dealing with this now” Lance mumbled.  
Abruptly, Lance was lifted from his bed, Hunk was as strong as ever.  
“You can sleep on the ship, buddy. This is important”  
“We’re already late, Coran’s been trying to reach you for ages!” Pidge added. 

Lance woke up fully when they reached Altea. It was beautiful as ever, it made his heart ache.  
It was light, and seeing Pidge as a fully fledged adult was a surreal experience. It didn’t matter how often he saw her, he still pictured the little kid who had piloted the green lion. She was taller now, though still with a face that oozed impish mischief. Lance sat up properly.  
“Any word on what this is about?” Lance asked.  
Pidge and Hunk shrugged, as Hunk landed the ship.  
Lance would always be grateful to Hunk for remembering to pack him some clothes that weren’t pajamas. He knew for a fact that if it had been up to Pidge, he would have been greeting Coran in a pair of duck pajamas Veronica had bought him as a joke...at least, he hoped it had been a joke, he didn’t want to live in a reality where his sister honestly thought he’d like the pajamas.  
He dressed swiftly, and stepped out into the sunlight. Altea, bright, and beautiful, just as Allura had described. 

Coran looked as though he was fizzing with electricity. Age had done nothing to diminish the energy he was constantly emitting.  
“Paladins!” Coran beamed, his lips spread so wide that it probably hurt him, but the light in his eyes showed that even if it did, he didn’t care.  
“Former paladins” Lance corrected, absentmindedly.  
Coran shook his head. “Shiro’s already here, we’re just waiting on Keith.”  
He pulled the trio into a hug so tight that Lance heard Hunk’s ribs crack. He released them, and began leading them inside. He was all but dancing, a spring in his step that had been missing for so long.  
Coran’s house was cosy, much smaller than the castle, but still with a noble air to it. Portraits hung on the walls of Coran with Alfor, with Allura, and with his new friends and family. They were lead to a lounge type area, with soft chairs, and Shiro sat up straight. Three years out of the military, but one call from an old comrade, and he was sitting like he was waiting for a superior officer, and not his friends.  
“Morning” Shiro smiled.  
“More like early evening here” Coran grinned, heading for the kitchen to make drinks. Lance awkwardly sat down with the others, anxiously eyeing his friends...or were they acquaintances now? He hoped they were still friends, despite his self imposed isolation.  
“Did Coran tell you what this was about?” Hunk stage whispered to Shiro.  
“Your guess is as good as mine” Shiro shrugged.  
“Coran is going to become an intergalactic fisherman? He's going to catch moon trout” Pidge said seriously, staring unblinkingly at Shiro.  
“Okay, maybe not” Shiro sighed, Pidge’s face lit up, and a smirk fought its way onto her face.  
Hunk shook his head fondly. It was almost like old times, almost.  
Coran emerged with steaming hot mugs of....mystery substance. Lance didn’t know what it was, and frankly was a little worried to find out. Lance had grown to be both very trusting about food, but also extremely wary of it, even when it came from an old friend, and especially when that particular friend had tried to serve him a "traditional paladin lunch".  
Hunk downed it in one, which either meant it was really good, or really really not. Lance had learned to trust Hunk's instincts, they were usually right.  
Lance wrinkled his nose and took the tiniest sip he had ever taken of anything in his whole life. It was passable, but weirdly bitter. He finished it, but couldn't keep the grimace off of his face. He hoped that Coran hadn't seen it, it'd be like kicking a puppy.  
Coran didn’t sit with the others, choosing to stand instead, occasionally bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, checking the time, and fluttering his hands by his sides like butterfly wings. The front door unlocked, and Keith stepped in, bringing Cosmo with him, Coran greeted him warmly, and with no surprise about Keith coming straight in, which made Lance believe this was a regular enough occurrence for them to not care about it. He felt a little jealous of the closeness that he didn't really have with his friends anymore.  
“You have a key to Coran’s place?” Lance exclaimed before he could stop himself.  
“Well observed, tomorrow we’ll do shapes” Keith retorted with a smile, before sitting next to Pidge.  
Cosmo decided to perch on a surprised Shiro’s lap, completely blocking him from view, but refusing to move.  
Keith had changed a lot, still kind of emo, but had managed to grow up handsome despite the mullet...it was kind of annoying, especially when Lance knew he didn't do anything to keep it up, Keith just had lucky genes.  
Shiro parted the fur on top of Cosmo’s head, and peered over him to see the others, looking like an inquisitive meerkat, looking through the grass to check for friends.  
“Coran, are you going to tell us what this is about?” Shiro asked. He gave a soft "Oof" as Cosmo shifted his weight, and flattened Shiro against the back of the chair. Cosmo was less of a dog and more of a small horse, far larger than any earth dog.  
Coran looked as though he would burst with joy. “We’ve been working on something. It was Keith’s idea”  
Keith turned red, and Lance couldn’t help but snort at that, typical Keith, dodging praise.  
“It was only an idea, I wasn’t responsible for the execution” He mumbled, purposely looking at the floor, and fiddling with one of his gloves.  
“Can’t build anything without ideas, Keith” Pidge smiled, elbowing him in the ribs gently, showing that she knew what ‘gently’ meant, and had still chosen to wake Lance via jumping.  
Keith looked more embarrassed than ever, which was weird to see on his surreally grown up face...still had the mullet though.  
“Guys, we can talk about that later, what’s the invention?” Lance said, firmly. It was strange to be the serious one, for once.  
Coran cleared his throat. “Yes, er, on with the idea. We have a way of reaching Allura and the others”  
Lance couldn’t believe what he was hearing, this was amazing, this was...wishful thinking, they couldn’t reach Allura, there was no way.  
“How?” Hunk gasped.  
Coran stood taller, his eyes ablaze with boyish joy. “With a special pen!” Coran announced.  
Okay, clearly Coran and Keith had both lost their minds.  
“With a pen? Don’t mess with me, is this a real thing?” Lance asked, his throat hurting, stinging like he was trying to swallow an egg whole.  
“A very real thing.” Coran replied, his face fiercely staring into Lance’s eyes.  
“How?” Pidge exclaimed, sitting forward.  
“We made a pen that works with quintessence and can reach Allura and the others at the source of space time. It won’t bring her back, but we can speak to her. And she can speak to us. We sent her instructions on how to make her own...it took some improvisation on her part, but we finally finished them yesterday” Coran explained.  
“We can write to her” Lance whispered to himself, barely daring to believe the words he spoke.  
“Yes, Lance. We can" Coran smiled "I’m giving you each one. Use them well, I’m sure she’d be thrilled to hear from you all”  
Lance lurched to his feet, and hauled both Coran and Keith into a tight hug.  
“Thank you”


	2. A favour from beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance sends his first letter to Allura, and receives an unexpected request.

Dear Allura.

I miss you. Are you okay? 

Love Lance

 

Lance had never felt so self conscious with a pen in his hand in his life. He had no idea what to write. He’d hidden away in what he assumed was Coran's room, judging by the family photos, and the moustache combs, to write his message to Allura. The pen was funny looking, top heavy, and very obviously cobbled together from scrap metal. What the pen lacked in beauty, it made up for by writing in a glowing ink which disappeared shortly after the words took form.

He anxiously tapped his foot on the floor, his stomach full of butterflies, and his heart hammering away obnoxiously in his chest. It was an unusual feeling, not unlike the feeling he’d always had when talking to Allura, but different enough to throw him off.  He reminded himself to breathe, and tried not to be sick, which was easier said than done. 

“Dear Lance” Lance held his breath, forgetting almost instantly that he was meant to be breathing. He let out a shaky breath, and focused on the glowing blue writing that elegantly danced across the paper. 

“I’m fine. I miss you. What in the name of the ancients are you DOING!” 

Lance’s eyes widened briefly, confused at what had appeared in front of his eyes, as well as with the almost aggressive speed which Allura had written ‘doing’

“What do you mean?” Lance scribbled down.

There was a pause, and then Allura’s handwriting began to bloom across the page.

“I mean moping around, Lance,” Lance chewed his lip, and frowned “I can see so many timelines here, and yours is so sad. Lance, why are you on earth? Why are you isolating yourself? It’s not fair on you, and it’s not fair on anyone who cares about you”

Lance blinked, staring down at what Allura had written.

“I’m not isolating myself. And I’m helping my family” 

“Lance, I can see that you are. And I can see what it’s doing to everyone. Your family can farm alone, you belong in space. When was the last time you saw the team socially?” Lance felt a little like he was being attacked. He hadn’t imagined that the conversation would go this way, he also hadn’t imagined that Allura would be telling him off, of all things. They hadn’t communicated in so long, and this was the way they were reunited? Really?

“I saw them last memorial day” He wrote, indignantly.

What followed wasn’t writing, it was a messy, ugly sketch of a very unimpressed Allura.

“What?” He wrote back.

“That wasn’t socially. You haven’t been social with Hunk in phoebs! You haven’t responded to any of Pidge’s efforts to communicate, And I know for a fact that you haven’t seen Shiro since his wedding...Tell him congratulations for me” Allura retorted. Lance was a little shocked. He knew that Allura could be a little scary at times, his first few days as a paladin had shown him that.

Lance felt guilty, she was right, he hadn’t reached out to anyone. He barely even spoke to his own family, let alone the one he had formed voltron with. He closed his eyes, and tried not to cry, he succeeded, but his eyes felt moist. Holding back tears was difficult, it was like trying to hold back an entire ocean, or at least it felt that way. He swallowed around the lump in his throat.

“Lance. This isn’t healthy for you. I’ve been among so many timelines, I can see where you are heading, and it’s not good for you," He could almost hear her concerned tone, like she was comforting him from beyond where he could reach her. "I want you to do me a favour"

He was writing before he even registered that he was. “Anything for you”

“Join the others. Have adventures, it doesn’t have to be forever. Just be with them, they are our family. Go with them, and live” 

Lance pulled a face. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with them, it was just hard. He had been living his life in a set routine for so long, he didn’t have the energy physically or emotionally to do what he used to. 

“Lance, please. For me”

He sighed, and sniffed, drawing the heel of his palm roughly across his eye. “Yes”

“Thank you”

“I love you”   
“Be yourself, and have fun”

 

 

The team were talking excitedly when Lance emerged from the room. Something about a group project involving the Atlas. 

Lance stood, watching as Pidge’s hands fluttered around while describing some techy thing or another, honestly, Lance was lost. Hunk seemed to be really interested in what she was saying, hanging onto her every word, and interjecting here and there. Cosmo had remained on Shiro’s lap, but had now spread out and pinned the poor man to the spot...Only a monster would move a sleeping Cosmo.

He tried to wait for a break in the conversation, but when none presented itself, Lance had to take matters into his own hands. He cleared his throat loudly. 

five heads turned to face him.

“So. Uh,” Lance nervously rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly anxious to talk to everyone, it was overwhelming. “Apparently I’ve been distancing myself-”

“We’ve noticed” Pidge interjected, she wasn’t joking, and looked more than a little irritated with Lance.

“Yes, well” Lance mumbled, eyes on the floor. How could he do this, it was so hard.

He felt a gentle, but massive hand clap him on the shoulder. He didn’t even have to look up to know that it was Hunk. 

“Buddy, whatever’s going on, we’ve got your back” Hunk smiled. He was more than a ray of sunshine, Hunk was a ray of joy, comfort, and kick ass friendship.

Lance drew strength from Hunk’s words, and managed to return a soft smile. 

“I want to visit you guys more. Allura kind of told me off for not exploring more, and not spending more time with you” Lance said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

Suddenly everything was dark, and the air was crushed from Lance’s lungs as he was lifted into the air by an emotional Hunk, his face smooshed into Hunk's shoulder.

“YES! The dream team are back together!” Hunk exclaimed, releasing Lance, only for him to be tackled into a fierce, and sharp hug from Pidge. “We’re all going on a mission to provide food for the Olkari, and Mom’s coming to help with farming! It’s going to be great. You should come!” Pidge grinned, her fluffy hair tickling Lance’s nose to the point he had to push her off of him.

Lance frowned, he didn’t think he was ready for all of that, it was too much too fast.

“It’s going to take a while, but we’re all going,” Keith said, still sat down, absently scratching Cosmo behind his ears. “It could be a good opportunity for you to spend time with us. It’s humanitarian work, and I think it’d be good for you” 

Lance gnawed his lip, his eyes finding Shiro. He was nodding along with what Keith had said. Lance sighed “When do we leave?”

“Not for a week,” Keith replied, “So you have time to pack and make arrangements”

He nodded. A week. Lance could prepare for a week, and then he’d be in space again. Part of him was excited, he’d missed the freedom of space, he’d missed being around his friends. But he’d spent almost ten years as a civilian, and wasn’t sure that he could go back to how he was before. His anxiety must have registered on his face, because Keith’s face softened. 

“You’ll be fine, you’re more adaptable than you think” 

Lance could have been wrong, but that could have been a compliment, if a strange one. 

 

The trip home was filled with chatter from Pidge and Hunk, they were both excited about their mission, and even more excited that Lance would be coming with them. It made him feel warm to know that they were so happy to be spending time with him. Lance had always been insecure, and he remembered a dark time after Keith left the team. Lance had been left alone with no one to talk to; he worried that it would happen again, but the way Pidge and Hunk were talking, it made him feel a bit more safe. 

After Allura had gone, and Voltron was no longer needed, he’d felt like he wasn’t really needed anymore. He wasn’t a paladin, he wasn’t Allura’s boyfriend, he wasn’t anything. Lance was just Lance, and that was all he’d ever truly be, and it would never be enough. He didn’t have any skills to help anyone other than his family. He couldn’t face his team properly, he was terrified that he’d eventually lose them too. They’d either die, or they’d realise that he wasn’t any use to them. But now, something like hope was blossoming within him.

“Oh man! Lance, have you tried any of Hunk’s food lately? It’s better than anything I’ve ever tasted,” Pidge grinned from the front seat, her cheeks dimpling, bringing the cute kid she had been back to her features. “It’s better than Mom’s lasagne, but don’t tell her I said that, she’ll be so mad” 

Lance managed a smile “I haven’t, are they new recipes?” He asked.

Hunk looked happier than Lance had seen him in years, it was amazing to see his best friend with his favourite grin. Hunk’s smiles had always been the warmest, kindest thing in the universe. Each one of his smiles felt like hugging a sleepy puppy.

“Actually I just tweaked a bunch of recipes I made when we were in the garrison,” Hunk replied, “It’s important to cook to bring about the right emotions. And those recipes always make me happy, all the good memories, y’know” 

Lance snorted loudly “Uh huh. Are you using the stock cube recipe?”

Hunk chuckled, shaking his head “No, I’m trying to cook up peace, not war. That was the worst thing I’ve ever had in my mouth!”

Lance couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling in his chest, especially at Pidge’s confused face. “Oh man, It was so bad!”

“What was?” Pidge demanded.

Hunk managed to calm himself enough to give her an answer. “When me and Lance first joined the garrison, one of the guys in the year above said that drinking stock cubes was better than cocoa. So of course, Lance had to go and drink one. It was disgusting, so Lance started adding stuff to try to make it taste better”

“Like what?” Pidge asked.

“Honey,” Lance began counting on his fingers “Chocolate sauce, peanut butter, sugar, maple syrup, frosting”

Pidge made a retching noise. “Hunk!” She exclaimed, appalled “You let him drink that?”

“No. He wanted to drink it, but I said it’d taste awful, he wouldn’t believe me” Hunk explained

“So he drank it to prove how gross it’d be” Lance finished. 

Pidge shook her head “That’s gross even by our standards” her nose wrinkled, and Lance couldn't stop himself from chuckling at that. Pidge was far from being a lady, and it was strange to see her be so disgusted about something when Lance had personally seen her digging in her ears, which was also pretty gross. 

“It was so thick, it was like drinking egg whites” Hunk said, grimacing.

Lance cackled, it had been so long since he’d thought back to that fateful night. It may not have been how he and Hunk became friends, but it definitely cemented that bond. 

“I could have gone my whole life without imagining drinking egg whites,” Pidge pouted, there was no real annoyance behind it "But maybe if we added different things it could taste okay".

"Pidge, No" Hunk warned.

"I'm a scientist, Hunk, I need to investigate" Pidge said, mischievous light dancing in her eyes. 

For the first time in years, Lance felt like himself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, my sister and her friend did the stock cube drink.  
> I'm hoping to write more cheerful stuff from here on out. Thanks for reading.


	3. Galran humour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance spends his first day on the Atlas.

Dear Allura

I’m about to set off for the Atlas. I’m feeling kind of nervous, do you have any kind words for me? Hunk and Pidge seem like they’re really excited for me to be joining them, it’s been good to be speaking with them anyway. I hope everything’s going well in the timeline...thing. 

Love Lance

 

Dear Lance

You’re going to be fine. This is going to be good for you. I’m really proud of you for going. The source of timelines has a, shall we say stagnant social scene. I missed my father so much that I’d forgotten how much he could nag at times. I’m obviously still upset with Zarkon, but I must admit that he has been growing on me now that he isn’t being corrupted. He’s actually funny! Lotor is absolutely mortified, and I must say that I find that a little satisfying, given what he put us all through. 

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Trigel lately, she reminds me so much of Pidge. 

Love Allura.

 

To say that Lance was nervous was an understatement, and not a minor one. He felt a bottomless pit forming in his stomach, a bottomless pit full of really terrified butterflies. 

His mom had all but pushed him out of the house. She had been ecstatic to learn of his return to space. The moment he told her of his plans, she’d started calling around the family. Pretty soon the farmhouse was stuffed full of his relatives, some of whom he didn’t even recognise. They’d had a huge meal, he’d been hugged so many times he was pretty sure that he’d had more than enough to last a lifetime. He’d been patted on the back by so many of his relatives that he was fairly confident that a hand shaped bruise adorned his back. He’d left the party feeling ten feet tall, like he could take on the universe and win.

That had been a week ago, and now Lance was stood before the Atlas with his teeth set in a nervous grimace, his hands shaking, and his heart thudding away like a drum. He was suddenly reminded of just how small he was in the universe. What good could he possibly do here? He should just turn back, it was the only solution to get himself to feel less anxious. 

Lance had always been a little nervous, but he’d always been able to cover it well. But he was nearly a decade out of practice, and knew that he was not hiding it even a little tiny bit. 

He was about to turn tail and go back home when Cosmo teleported next to him.

Lance glanced down at the greying wolf. Cosmo stared up at him, like he knew something, which made Lance feel uncomfortable.

“Hey, Cosmo” Lance said, reaching out to run his hand along Cosmo’s side. Abruptly, Cosmo decided to teleport, and bring Lance with him. 

Teleportation was not an experience that Lance wanted to repeat, it was jarring, and confusing.

They appeared in what Lance could only assume was Keith’s room. It was a strong assumption, as Keith was sat looking startled on the bed, and his jacket was hanging on the wall.

“Uh, Hi” Lance grinned, awkwardly.

Keith barked a laugh “Wow, I didn’t expect him to go and get you” 

Lance shrugged “Me neither”

Keith shook his head, and patted his knee to call Cosmo over. The wolf huffed in what could only be exasperation. It was almost comical. 

“Who do I report to to find my room?” Lance said, unsure of what to do next.

“You didn’t have your room number sent to you?” Keith asked, stepping off of his bed, and walking to Lance’s side.

“No” Lance sighed, suddenly even more nervous than ever. What if he wasn’t even meant to be on the Atlas? What if he was going to be in the way? This was so stupid! He was so stupid.

Keith seemed to sense that Lance was catastrophizing in his mind. He smiled at him reassuringly. Lance had noticed that Keith had been smiling more, it was nice. Not having the constant pressure of war hanging over them was agreeing with him.

“It’s fine. They tend to miss people a lot of the time. There should be lists on the walls, for people who don’t get the message” 

Lance blew out a shaky breath “Yeah, yeah” He headed for the door, he had no idea where he was going. 

“You want me to come with you?” Keith asked. 

Lance had never been so grateful to hear Keith speak, okay, that was an exaggeration, but he was still very grateful for the offer.

“Yeah, that’d be really helpful” Lance smiled. 

Keith grinned back, before turning to Cosmo. “Cosmo, stay,” He said sternly “I mean it, stay in here”

Cosmo sat down, and pointedly looked away from Keith. “Good boy”

No sooner was the door shut, than Cosmo teleported out of the room and next to Keith, wagging his tail proudly. 

Lance couldn’t help but laugh at the exasperated but resigned look on Keith’s face, as Cosmo pranced around him cheerfully.

“Would you look at that, Keith,” Lance chuckled “You have trained a wild animal perfectly”

Keith rolled his eyes “Let’s see how well you trained Kalternecker”

Lance gave an outraged gasp “Don’t you bring my daughter into this”

Keith choked on air “Daughter? Kalternecker is a cow!”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that. She is my special lady” Lance protested.

Keith outright laughed at that. They continued on for a while in a comfortable silence. It was a warm and friendly silence, one which Lance didn’t get to experience very often, not since Allura. Even with it being comfortable, he still felt the need to fill the silence, it was a tough habit to break.

“Have you been writing to Allura?” He asked.

Keith nodded “Yeah, I have.” 

He didn’t elaborate, and Lance left it at that...Or he would have if he was the type of person who didn’t pry.

“Any gossip?” He asked.

Keith sighed “We’ve been catching up. Talking about family, and friends”

“Did you hear that Zarkon is a fun dad?” 

Keith nodded “She did mention that”

“Personally I can’t believe it. From what I saw of him he had no sense of humour” Lance replied, dodging Cosmo as he decided to go sniffing along the other side of the corridor.

“The Galra have senses of humour, Lance” Keith said, grabbing Lance’s elbow, and pulling him down a different corridor. It was getting crowded now, an ocean of faces.

“Could have fooled me, Mullet” Lance snorted.

Keith stopped still, and looked Lance dead in the eyes “Do Pharaohs enjoy being mummies?”

“What?” Lance said.

“Do Pharaoh’s enjoy being mummies?” Keith repeated.

“I don’t know” Lance replied suspiciously.

“Of corpse” Keith answered, face completely straight.

Lance shook his head slowly. “Oh, Keith. No, that was just awful”

Keith shrugged “My Mom taught me that one. She visited Cairo with Kolivan a while back”  

Well, that was a lot to unwrap...Damn, if he’d been quicker he could have used that pun, it would have landed too, if Keith thought that mummy joke was good. 

“She went to Egypt with Kolivan?”

Keith nodded “Yeah. They had a lot of fun there, saw all the sights, and came home with just, so many terrible jokes” 

Lance blinked, he’d press for more details on Krolia and Kolivan’s holiday later, he wanted to know about the jokes she’d been inflicting on Keith ever since.

“Like what?”

Keith sighed deeply, pinching his temples. He didn’t answer Lance, choosing instead to continue leading Lance to the list of rooms. 

“Hey, you can’t tell me about terrible jokes and then walk away like it’s nothing!” Lance exclaimed.

“I’ll tell you what. If you find the list first, I’ll tell you one of Krolia’s jokes” Keith replied.

Lance beamed from ear to ear, he was definitely going to find that list first. He had a sudden an undying need to know exactly what Krolia’s idea of a good joke was.

“What if you find it first?” Lance asked, just to make things fair.

Keith looked thoughtful for a moment “Hmmm, You have to wash Cosmo”

Lance shrugged, honestly, how hard could it be to wash a wolf. He’d washed his aunt’s terrier once, it couldn’t be that much different.

“Tough, but fair” Lance agreed. 

And then the competition was on. Nothing motivated Lance like a competition, especially one against Keith. There was something about him that always made him want to do his best, and not just because Lance liked lording it over Keith when he won. He just enjoyed competing with him, it had been what their rivalry was based on, and later on, their friendship. Winning against Keith was an indescribable feeling, but even losing to him didn't feel bad anymore. He respected Keith, could see and appreciate his talents, and knew that there was no shame in not measuring up. Rivalry with Keith was no longer about tearing one another down, it was about building each other up now...And rubbing Keith's nose in it if he won.

Keith took the right of the corridor, and Lance took the left. 

Lance’s eyes scanned the walls, he was good at spotting things, it was part of what made him such a great sharpshooter. There wasn't much to spot on the grey metal walls of the Atlas, but Lance searched every inch of them, the sweet promise of a terrible joke pushing him onward.

He felt a little jolt of electric excitement shoot through him when he spotted a paper with a crowd of people around it. The only problem was that it was on Keith’s side of the corridor...although they hadn’t made a rule about sticking to one side of the corridor, it was just something that happened.

He sprinted ahead, taking Keith by surprise, and barreled into the crowd, using his shoulders and sharp elbows to fight his way to the front.

“YES!” He crowed at the top of his lungs “I found it. Suck on that, Keith! Lance, champion of the universe!”

The people around him seemed more than a little irritated with him, but Lance couldn’t bring himself to care, he was rarely gracious in victory. 

“Lance, that was my side!” Keith exclaimed.

“Nuh uh, Keith. You never said I could only claim paper on my side of the wall” He felt a bit like a toddler, but at the same time, he just didn’t care.

“I can’t believe you” Keith said, shaking his head.

“Tell me the joke, Keith!” Lance demanded, taking a swift note of his room number, and then shouldering his way out of the crowd. 

“Uuuuugh” Keith groaned.

“Joke, joke, joke, joke!” Lance chanted. 

“You are such a child!” Keith grumbled. 

Lance felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Shiro and his husband. 

“What’s this about?” Shiro asked.

“I won a bet, and now Keith has to tell me one of Krolia’s jokes” Lance grinned.

Shiro grimaced “Oh no, they’re terrible. She says they remind her of Keith’s dad”

“I want to hear her jokes” Shiro’s husband offered. Lance couldn’t for the life of him remember the guy’s name. 

“Joke, joke, joke” Lance chanted, Shiro’s husband joining in, making Lance’s cheeks ache with the grin he was making. With his husband on board, Shiro would have to join in on the chant, or look like a total asshole.

“Joke, joke, joke” Shiro chanted with far less glee than his partner, and friend.

“Fine, a deal’s a deal” Keith almost growled, Lance hadn’t wound Keith up like this in years, it was childish, but he felt no heat behind it, this was how he remembered voltron.

“What was Tutankhamun’s favourite type of music?” 

Shiro sighed sympathetically for his friend.

“I don’t know” Lance beamed.

“Wrap” 

Lance lost it. It wasn’t a funny joke, it was spectacularly bad. But the image of Krolia finding this joke and reciting it to Keith was too much for him. He could just picture Krolia’s excited face...it was probably the same as her neutral face, kind of like Kolivan’s was. Better yet, maybe it was Kolivan who had found the joke and told Krolia. It was beautiful, and the cherry on the cake was the look on Keith’s face. He looked just, so done. His eyes were dull, his face fed up. Lance was weeping, and using Shiro’s husband as support to keep him upright as he wheezed. He hadn’t laughed like that in so long, and now that the flood gates were open, there was no closing them. He wasn’t just laughing, he was cackling like a witch, tears were rolling down his cheeks. He couldn’t stop. Shiro’s husband isn’t in a much better state, Lance’s reaction had set him off, and they were collapsing in  on each other unable to stop the laughter.

Keith gave Shiro a pitying look “I’m so sorry”

“Not as sorry as I’m going to be. He’s going to be repeating that for days” Shiro sighed, fondly gazing at his husband like he was a shining beacon of perfection, and not a man clapping like a seal over a joke older than he was. 

Keith grabbed Lance’s elbow, and hauled him down the corridor, as Shiro led his husband towards their room.

Lance managed to get ahold of himself. “What’s Shiro’s husband’s name?” His voice was hoarse, and he knew that his eyes were watering.

“You don’t know?” Keith asked.

“No, and it’s been too long for me to ask him what his name is. It’d be too awkward” Lance replied.

Keith paused, and a smirk danced across his face, briefly. “Oh, so you don’t know his name at all?”

“No”

“Well, I’m not going to tell you. Consider it revenge” Keith grinned.

“I hate you”

“I know”

 

Keith lead Lance to his room, and even helped him unpack a little. It was nice to see him again. They had almost settled into a domestic quiet conversation when the door slid open and Pidge and Hunk tumbled in. They spent the rest of the evening reminiscing about the past, and sharing stories from before the garrison.

 

It turned out that Lance was a few doors down from Hunk, and directly opposite Pidge, Lance couldn’t have asked for a better room placement. It made sneaking about at night much easier...although that was kid stuff, and Lance was a twenty seven year old adult, who did adult stuff...But exploring at night sounded fun.

He’d had such a great time with Keith that he had forgotten his nerves, and meeting up later with Hunk and Pidge just made things better. Lance went to sleep that night happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I know the humour is kind of weird, but have you really told a joke if it hadn't made at least one person groan?  
> I wish they'd told us Shiro's husband's name!  
> Thanks again for reading.


	4. Time for friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets a surprise that he wasn't expecting. Just a whole lot of team building, and Keith's letter to Allura.

Dear Lance.  
See, I told you that you’d be alright. I’m so proud of you for going. I’m trying not to pry too much, but trying to avoid touching the timelines is difficult when you live in a place full of them. It was nice to see you smiling again.  
Love Allura

Dear Allura  
Did you see Cosmo teleport me on board? He’s getting old now, he’s in that sort of old dog doesn’t know he’s old yet phase.  
Love Lance

Dear Lance  
I did see that bit. I saw it from in Keith’s room. He was telling Cosmo how much he wished that you’d stop trying to talk yourself out of it, and just come in. It was actually rather sweet, he actually whispered “Cosmo, No!” when he teleported out to you.  
Love Allura

 

Lance stared down at the glowing letters as they slowly faded out of existence. Keith had seen him fretting over coming onto the ship. Keith had cared about whether he came with them or not. He gave a small smile, he could picture Keith’s horrified expression as his pet vanished. An embarrassing fond giggle leapt from his mouth, and Lance couldn’t even begin to process that he’d made a sound when he was yanked from his thoughts by a firm, loud knock on his door.  
Lance liked to think that he was a man of strong nerves, and a brave disposition. That being said, Lance had also been through a lot, and was very much not expecting to see Zethrid behind the door.  
The shriek that left Lance was inhuman, and likely only audible to dolphins.  
Zethrid didn’t look impressed, she did, however smile. Lance hadn't spent a lot of time in Zethrid's company, and he didn't like to think back to most of those times. He knew that she was different now, but just a handful of bad experiences could make a man jumpy, even if most of the negative feelings had left.  
“Uh, Heyyy” Lance squeaked, attempting to claw back a little masculinity.  
“Can I move now?” Zethrid asked.  
Lance raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of the situation.  
“Yeah, you can go” Pidge.  
Pidge had always been something of a goblin, but this was on another level of goblin-ness.  
Zethrid stepped aside, revealing a grinning Pidge.  
“Why?” Lance demanded, folding his arms defensively.  
“Because I thought opening the door to someone unexpected would get a good reaction. I was right”  
Lance couldn’t even begin to think about how that conversation had gone. To the best of his knowledge Pidge and Zethrid weren’t friends, did she just go up to her and ask? how did she even broach the subject?.  
“She’s right” Zethrid added, walking away like nothing at all had happened.  
Lance couldn’t do anything but stand there and blink. He spent so much time trying to work out what had just happened that Pidge grabbed his arm and began hauling him towards Hunk’s room.  
“I don’t have time for this, we’re hanging out today” Pidge half groaned.  
Lance snorted “Really? You have time to organise a weak prank, but not for me to deal with the prank”  
“If you needed processing time, then it wasn’t a weak prank” Pidge grinned. Lance wasn’t sure how she’d managed it, but Pidge’s grin had become three times more smug.  
“I needed time to process the weakness of the prank” Lance protested.  
Pidge stopped dead in her tracks, and levelled a calculating glare at him. Lance found himself squirming uncomfortably in her gaze. He had learned over time that a calculating look from Pidge was just about as terrifying a thing you could find in the universe.  
“One, you are like twenty seven, you’re being a kid. And two, You squeaked!” Pidge accused.  
“A squeak? You mean the manliest sound a mouse can make!” Lance tried to deepen his voice as he spoke, but could immediately see that Pidge could see through the attempt as easily she would a window.  
The door slid open, Hunk stood before them with his arms crossed, and one socked foot tapping the floor, looking very much like a disapproving mother.  
“I told you not to do the prank, Pidge. We’re behind schedule!” Hunk always was a mother hen, usually that manifested itself in Hunk being extra caring, but every now and then, Hunk became a stern mother hen.  
“Huuuuuuunk!” Pidge pouted, eyes wide and sparkling as Hunk slowly shook his head.  
“Nope, no. We had a plan” Hunk had evidently become immune to the Pidge eyes.

  
Lance stepped gingerly past the squabbling pair, and sat cross legged on Hunk’s bed. It was then that he noticed both Shiro, and Keith in the room.  
“Hey” He said, noting that neither man looked especially keen on being in the room. It momentarily made Lance feel insecure, like maybe they’d finally decided he wasn’t worth the time. That’d certainly make for an awkward voyage. But then Lance spotted the table full of various beauty supplies. All his old favourites, back before he’d given up. What was the point of making an effort for someone he’d never see again? Plus, even if he had moved on, what use was he now that voltron was gone? He wasn’t a paladin, he was just a farmer now.  
He knew that Hunk was behind this gesture, only Hunk knew what Lance put on his skin, because Lance had often tried to convince him to join him in wearing a face mask. He was certain that Pidge had nothing to do with it, he’d never known her to spend much time on her appearance, she didn’t really need to, she was already adorable, when she wasn't being a goblin.  
Lance noticed that Keith had pinned back his bangs in preparation. He couldn’t back out of this, effort had been made!  
Hunk and Pidge finally finished their minor argument, Pidge perching on a desk chair, and Hunk taking his seat beside Lance.  
Lance gestured to the table full of pampering gear. “So, you noticed my dry skin?”  
Hunk looked genuinely horrified. “NO! Nononono! Buddy, that’s not what I meant. Is, is that how it came across?” Hunk desperately looked over to the others.  
“Kind of” Shiro answered, shrugging his shoulders, prosthetic arm bobbing eerily.  
Hunk’s face fell, utter dismay clouding his features. “Oh no”  
Lance hesitantly put an arm around Hunk’s shoulder, hoping to make him feel better, but worried that he was just making things more awkward.  
“I was joking” Lance mumbled, but he may as well have shrieked it for how Hunk reacted.  
He jolted, suddenly all smiles, and hugging Lance fiercely. “Thanks, I’m just never really sure these days”  
Lance felt a lump at his throat. He’d been so emotional recently, not having the farm work to keep his mind occupied. Usually he threw himself into chores until he was too tired to feel anything at all, it wasn’t a healthy coping strategy, but it was all he had. Unfortunately though, he didn’t have those chores in space, he had an unfamiliar situation. He’d never meant to make his friends feel bad. His friends were his family, and he loved them so much.  
Lance sniffed, and returned the hug. Hunk’s hugs had to be one of the greatest things in the universe, they were warm and kind, like living inside a toasted marshmallow.  
“Sorry, man.” Lance said, his voice hushed and mumbled by Hunk’s shoulder.  
“It’s not your fault” Hunk replied.  
It was his fault though, and Lance doubted that anyone could tell him any different.  
“Guys, either let us join the hug fest, or I’m leaving” Pidge announced.  
“Pidge, we were having a moment!” Lance and Hunk exclaimed in unison. They both burst out laughing, amazed that even after all the time apart, they were still in sync.  
Pidge managed to wedge herself in between the boys, and safely insert herself into the hug. She stuck out a hand and beckoned Shiro and Keith into the group hug. Shiro joined instantly, somehow managing to shimmy his head under Lance’s arm. Keith hung back for a moment. It wasn’t until Lance peered over Shiro’s head and said “Just get in here” that Keith decided to join them.

After about ten minutes of a hug that was simultaneously comfortable and also uncomfortable (On account of Pidge’s bony elbows, Hunk’s crushing arms, and Keith’s knife accidentally coming loose and jabbing Lance in the thigh) hug, they disentangled themselves, laughing breathlessly the whole time.  
Lance cleared his throat “Hugging aside, what am I doing here?”  
Hunk beamed at him, looking like the world’s happiest teddy bear.  
“I’ve got a date, and you know how to make people feel good about going out” Hunk announced.  
Lance raised an eyebrow “And the others are here why?”  
“Because we’re a team and we do stuff together” Hunk replied.  
“And because it’ll boost morale” Shiro added.  
“And because it’s something you do for yourself” Keith finished.  
Lance glanced from face to face. There wasn’t a trace of a joke on any of his friend’s faces, and it was nice to know that they trusted him with this stuff.  
“Who’s the lucky girl?” Lance asked, doing his best to bring his old energy back to his old hobby...if it could be called that.  
“Shay” Hunk replied.  
Lance nodded “Cute, okay. What time’s the date?” He asked, fully expecting for Hunk to say later that day, because most people thought that they could just put on a mask and then go, instead of waiting for their skin to settle and allow the mask to take full effect.  
“Tomorrow, so we have the whole day.” Hunk said.  
Lance felt a grin appear on his face “Perfect”

Lance was quick to discover that something he found relaxing, became infinitely less so, when applying it to someone else.  
Hunk had taken to the face mask well, allowing the cool greyish green mud be smeared across his face. He hadn’t squirmed, or made faces, he had been an angel. Shiro had dealt with mud being applied without complaint, although he clearly didn’t find it as enjoyable as Lance did.  
Pidge was not an angel, Pidge was a face mask demon of inconvenient proportions.  
Lance gently started adding mud to Pidge’s nose, only for her to wrinkle her nose in distaste, ruining the beautiful smooth finish that Lance had given the mud. He sighed deeply, and began to run his thumb along both of her cheeks, spreading murky green in his wake. Pidge screwed her face up into a miserable pout, forcing her cheeks up, and getting mud on her lower eyelashes. Lance breathed in and tried to think happy thoughts. If Pidge was this bad, then he could only imagine how bad Keith was going to be. He thought wistfully about how certain he was that Allura would have been happy to wear a mask with him.  
“Pidge, you’re going to mess it up” Lance warned, spreading green gunk on her chin and then her forehead. Pidge furrowed her brow, again ruining all of his hard work.  
“Are you done yet?” She groaned, like a petulant teenager instead of a woman in her mid twenties.  
Lance held up his hands in defeat “Yeah, yeah I am”  
Pidge gave a triumphant cry, as though she had been the one put through an ordeal. Her mask now even more of a blot on Lance's mud mask track record.

Keith wheeled his chair in front of Lance, not bothering to get out of it, feet scooting him across the floor.  
“Are you going to be a pain about this too?” Lance asked. He was fully prepared for Keith to make a scene.  
“No, I think Pidge took all you patience, I’m not gonna risk it” He replied simply.  
Keith closed his eyes, and sat perfectly still. Lance was amazed by how still he was, until it became obvious that Keith was also holding his breath.  
“You can breathe!” Lance laughed. Keith opened a reproachful eye, and made a big show of taking in a deep breath and breathing it out. He closed the eye again, but continued breathing.  
As Lance began painting the mud along Keith’s nose, he became aware that he hadn’t ever touched Keith’s face before, not that he’d remembered anyway. He wasn’t sure he had touched any of his friend’s faces, but somehow it was Keith’s face that seemed the strangest. His skin was irritatingly smooth, Lance found himself hoping to find a blackhead or something that showed Keith was human...sort of.  
Painting Keith’s cheeks gave Lance a chance to notice how long his lashes were, not overly so, maybe it was a galra thing? Or perhaps his dad also had good lashes? Did Krolia?  
Keith ended up being the best behaved of his mud mask victims. The four of them looked like swamp monsters in an endearing kind of way.

Finished with the others, Lance turned to Hunk. “Got a mirror?”  
Hunk’s eyes widened comically “Nooo” He said, trying not to move his lips and risk cracking his mask.  
Lance lolled his head back. He was going to have to go to a bathroom and sort out his own mask. He began to get up from the bed, only for Keith to grab his sleeve and stop him.  
“This is meant to be team bonding, sit down, I’ll do it”  
Lance shook his head, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of seeing Keith with a face full of mud. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I don’t trust you with a face mask” Lance tried to explain.  
Keith probably would have frowned if it weren’t for the steadily drying mud stiffening his skin.  
“Well, just for that, you have to let me put mud on your face” Keith retorted, voice reproachful, and possibly a little hurt.  
Lance groaned “Fine, but if I lose an eyebrow hair because you got it stuck in the mud, I’m not gonna be happy”  
And so Lance had the unusual experience of Keith painting the cold mud across his face. It was relaxing, and he felt bad for ever doubting Keith. They had each other’s backs in voltron, and now they had each other’s backs when putting on masks. Keith had been surprisingly gentle, and Lance found himself drifting into his own thoughts.  
He was yanked from those calm, gentle thoughts, by Pidge and Hunk’s sniggering.  
“What?” He asked, alarmed to find that his face had become as solid as concrete, so his words came out as more of a “Hwt”  
“Nothing” Pidge snorted. Hers was the only clean face, apparently having washed it off while Lance had his applied.  
Lance turned to Hunk, giving him the most earnest look he possibly could.  
Hunk shook his head “It’s nothing bad”  
Lance groaned as loudly as he could. “What did he write on me?” Words still muffled by a thick layer of dry mud.  
“I didn’t write anything” Keith replied, his words also stifled by his mask.  
Lance quietly got up from his seat “I’m going to look”  
Keith stared unflinchingly “I didn’t write anything”  
Lance narrowed his eyes as best he could, feeling like an ageing actress with a bad face-lift.  
“I’m checking”  
Shiro stepped in, his face beginning to chip off, he needed to wash it. “He didn’t write anything. I promise”  
“You need to wash your face, Hunk too.” Lance said, more curious than ever to find out what had happened to his face. He’d use the excuse of helping Shiro to go and peek at himself in a mirror.

Keith had been telling the truth, he hadn’t written anything on Lance’s face...he had however drawn a cat’s nose and whiskers, it was weirdly artistic, not a slap dash vandalism of his face, but a time consuming stylised cat face. It almost seemed a shame to wipe off Keith’s work. Lance found himself smiling, cracking the mask, but he couldn't help it. He knew that he was on a mission, but it was just great to be reconnecting with his friends whilst he was also doing good. He had a purpose again, perhaps not saving the universe, but he was going to help people all the same.

 

That night, Keith was holed up in his room with Cosmo, marvelling at how smooth his skin felt, if a touch dry.  
He’d been writing to Allura religiously. She was his friend, and he missed her. But he was worried, worried that she knew how he felt about Lance, and worried that those feelings would upset her. It was starting to make him feel sick in a way that he hadn't since he was a kid. He'd honestly take fighting over confronting the emotions he was feeling. He had meant it when he'd supported Lance in dating Allura, he still did, he cared about their happiness more than his own. To see Lance so excited to date her had both hurt him, but made him feel so proud of Lance.  
He wasn’t great at articulating his feelings, even to himself, but he was doing his best. The point was that he’d never act on those feelings, Lance was with Allura, even if they had been apart for so long. Lance and Allura could both be happy now, and that was the whole reason he’d gone to Coran. He couldn’t spend another memorial day staring at a man who was stagnating. Lance had been an adventurous, curious person when they were in voltron. But to cut almost all ties with his friends, that just wasn’t the sociable Lance he had known. He missed seeing the light behind Lance's eyes as he met people he never would have on earth, he missed the joyful expression on his face as he hit a target perfectly, he even missed the gloating.  
He tapped his pen on his knee, desperately trying to find the words he needed. He needed someone to talk to, someone who could help him to keep everything bottled up where it was supposed to be. He wasn’t going to ruin two friendships that he’d only just began salvaging, just to throw it away because he was hot headed.

Hey Allura  
It’s Keith...We all miss you still. Lance especially.  
Keith

Dear Keith  
I miss you too, I miss all of you. I saw that you all spent time together today. I wish that I could have been there to congratulate Hunk. You looked like you were having a lot of fun. Lance looks like he’s feeling much better now that he’s spending time with friends. It’s important to make the most of the time you have with those you care for.  
Please tell Cosmo that he is looking quite handsome, and that I miss him as well. It is imperative that you tell him that he's a good boy.  
Love Allura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Juriechan for telling me what Shiro's husband's name is, you are the best!  
> I'm sorry this took so long, it's getting towards christmas, and I've been super busy.


End file.
